{"id":1468,"date":"2012-04-04T10:00:34","date_gmt":"2012-04-04T01:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ginzaofficial.sakura.ne.jp\/?p=1468"},"modified":"2015-06-27T17:05:16","modified_gmt":"2015-06-27T08:05:16","slug":"%e9%81%a0%e8%97%a4-%e5%bd%acx%e9%ab%98%e5%b6%8b-%e3%81%a1%e3%81%95%e5%ad%90","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ginza.jp\/en\/connective\/1468","title":{"rendered":"Choichiro Motoyama\u00d7Chisako Takashima"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Upholding our founding philosophy of providing the real thing<\/h4>\n
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Takashima<\/dt>\n
Hatsuko Endo dresses are really splendid. I\u2019ve been married 11 years\u2014and I know it\u2019s bad luck to say this\u2014but I\u2019d love to marry again just so I could wear such a wedding dress!<\/dd>\n
Endo<\/dt>\n
Thank you.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
Are your wedding kimonos and dresses original creations?<\/dd>\n
Endo<\/dt>\n
All the kimono are originals made in collaboration with Kyoto kimono-fabric artists. Although it makes for a lot of work, we don\u2019t deal with kimono fabric wholesalers in order to uphold our founding philosophy of providing the real thing.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
Are the dresses originals, too?<\/dd>\n
Endo<\/dt>\n
For our wedding dresses, you could say that we\u2019re more like a boutique.
We have a selection of couture dresses of the highest-quality fabrics and designs. We also carry our own original designs.<\/dd>\n
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Takashima<\/dt>\n
How many shops do you have across Japan?<\/dd>\n
Endo<\/dt>\n
They are all in Tokyo, except for three shops in Yokohama and one in Nagoya.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
Hatsuko Endo has a long history. When was it founded?<\/dd>\n
Endo<\/dt>\n
In 1905. We turned 107 this year.
The founder, Hatsuko Endo, was my father\u2019s grandmother, and my mother is Hatsuko Endo IV.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
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Hatsuko Endo pioneered beauty treatments in Japan<\/h4>\n
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Takashima<\/dt>\n
Hatsuko Endo is famous as a wedding dress brand, but it was originally a beauty parlor?<\/dd>\n
Endo<\/dt>\n
That\u2019s right. The original Ginza shop did makeup, helped customers put on their kimonos and gave facials\u2014what we\u2019d today call an esthetic salon.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
Were such services common at the time?<\/dd>\n
Endo<\/dt>\n
No, we were the first to provide a total-package beauty service including esthetic treatments.
We were actually the first to provide facials in Japan.<\/dd>\n
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Takashima<\/dt>\n
So the shop pioneered beauty treatments in Japan? What kind of treatments were done?<\/dd>\n
Endo<\/dt>\n
The makeup Japanese women commonly used contained a lead compound that wasn\u2019t good for the skin. Since there wasn\u2019t a culture of skin care [as we know it today], many women had worries with skin problems.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
I didn\u2019t know that.<\/dd>\n
Endo<\/dt>\n
At the time, Hatsuko Endo\u2019s husband had gone to the United States, where he was surprised by how advanced beauty methods were compared to Japan. After returning to Japan, he told his wife about this, and she decided to open a beauty shop. She learned about Western treatments that brought out the natural beauty of women\u2019s skin and began offering the first facials in Japan.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
Are the same treatment methods still used?<\/dd>\n
Endo<\/dt>\n
If you look at the original manuals, the methods have changed very little. It\u2019s surprising to know that the tools used today are often the same as those used 100 years ago.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
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The entrance to a Hatsuko Endo Weddings store<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Hatsuko Endo IV provides beauty treatments for Empress Michiko<\/h4>\n
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Takashima<\/dt>\n
The original shop was located behind the Yamaha Ginza Building. What kind of place was it at that time?<\/dd>\n
Endo<\/dt>\n
The area was lined with tea houses.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
So many of the customers were associated with the geisha world?<\/dd>\n
Endo<\/dt>\n
Actually, no. Most of the customers were from the middle and upper class. Such treatments became popular among the upper class, and \u201cbeauty treatment\u201d even became a buzzword at the time.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
So high society people would come for skin care, get their hair set, and then go out to a party?<\/dd>\n
Endo<\/dt>\n
That was the case. In those days, however, it was common practice to visit the customer\u2019s home for weddings or similar occasions.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
Yes, I remember that. If I recall, Hatsuko Endo was responsible for the preparations for Michiko Shoda [the current empress] when she married Crown Prince Akihito [the current emperor] in 1959.<\/dd>\n
Endo<\/dt>\n
The royal family have been with us since the time of Hatsuko Endo I. My mother, Hatsuko Endo IV, was charged with the responsibility of preparing the future princess. Basic beauty treatments were done at our store in Tokyo Kaikan, and my mother assisted the bride with rehearsals to help her get used to the junihitoe (12-layered ceremonial kimono) she would wear on her wedding day.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
That\u2019s wonderful.<\/dd>\n
Endo<\/dt>\n
Thank you. We are honored that the empress continues to visit us today.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
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Hatsuko Endo Esthetic, Ginza Store<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Hatsuko Endo Beauty Studio, Ginza Store<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In touch with Japanese culture through calligraphy and pottery-making<\/h4>\n
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Takashima<\/dt>\n
How do you spend your time away from the Hatsuko Endo Group?<\/dd>\n
Endo<\/dt>\n
Mostly playing golf. I\u2019ve also enjoyed making pottery for the last 15 or 16 years.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
Where do you do your pottery firing?<\/dd>\n
Endo<\/dt>\n
Usually at the Nihon Miyabigoto Club.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
The Nihon Miyabigoto Club?<\/dd>\n
Endo<\/dt>\n
It is a club for performing Japanese cultural activities such as tea ceremony, pottery and shamisen. All members must take calligraphy, and I started there because I wasn\u2019t very good at calligraphy. Many well-known teachers come there to give classes.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
I didn\u2019t know that. Learning different aspects of Japanese culture is a good thing.<\/dd>\n
Endo<\/dt>\n
I\u2019m also a member of the Ginza Rotary Club, which I attend weekly.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
You seem to attend many clubs!<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
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It\u2019s important to remember the spirit of innovation that sparked Ginza\u2019s development<\/h4>\n
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Takashima<\/dt>\n
How would you compare today\u2019s Ginza to the Ginza of your childhood?<\/dd>\n
Endo<\/dt>\n
In my childhood, there were many places in Ginza where you could play. Ginza-dori Ave. was lined with shops that opened in the evening, and there would be picture-story shows in empty lots. Although things have changed since then, it\u2019s still my hometown. It\u2019s an easy place to navigate.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
Could you provide a message for the future Ginza?<\/dd>\n
Endo<\/dt>\n
Ginza is a town for sophisticated adults. At the same time, one of Ginza\u2019s charms is being able to leisurely stroll the main and back streets. To remain a charming place, it\u2019s important that we remember the spirit of innovation that sparked Ginza\u2019s development. Doing so may create apprehension that the essence of Ginza will be lost. Many stores open in Ginza, you know, but the ones that don\u2019t fit in here just seem to naturally disappear. The next generation of capable businesspeople is firmly steering Ginza, so I am not worried. I wish them the best in their efforts.<\/dd>\n<\/div>\n
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The next guest will be\u2026<\/h4>\n
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Takashima<\/dt>\n
Could you tell us about the next guest?<\/dd>\n
Endo<\/dt>\n
Sayuri, the proprietor of the venerable exclusive CLUB GR\u00c8S. This club counts business leaders and cultural figures among its regular customers. She will have many stories to tell.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
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Chisako Takashima<\/h4>\n

Violinist. Started playing the violin at age 6. After playing abroad, she moved her home base to Japan, and gives concerts all over the country. Although her current focus is on performing music, she also appears on TV and radio programs. Thanks to her much-loved personality, she is appearing in more and more venues.<\/p>\n

Chisako Takashima\u2019s Official Website<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

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Akira Endo<\/h4>\n

Representative director of the Hatsuko Endo Group. Has worked to build the Ginza community, including serving as a former chairman of the Ginza Street Association and a former representative for the Ginza Association. His hobbies are golf and pottery-making.<\/p>\n

Hatsuko Endo website<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

Writer: Mikiko Okai\u3000\u3000Interview Location: Hatsuko Endo Weddings<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sorry, this entry is only available in Japanese.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1479,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[14],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ginza.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1468"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ginza.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ginza.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ginza.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ginza.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1468"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ginza.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1468\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ginza.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ginza.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ginza.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ginza.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}